The St. Croix Bonsai Society will be displaying dozens of beautiful, carefully pruned and trained miniature trees at its 18th annual Bonsai Exhibition at Cruzan Gardens Nursery on Saturday and Sunday. The show is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., it’s free and all are invited.
Bonsai literally means “tray garden” in Japanese and is the craft of growing and shaping miniature decorative plants, often so they appear as if they were huge, ancient trees.
"We have a number of trees we work with, including some native species and some exotic species that have been brought here," said Bonsai Society President Rudy O’Reilly, Thursday afternoon.
"One of the stars this year is a guavaberry grown as a bonsai. We also have some acacia and a number of rubber tree plants,” he said, suggesting “it should be an interesting show.”
Bonsai is an art form where the artist expresses himself “in living trees," O’Reilly said. "It’s a living, constantly changing canvas." 
Up to 50 or so bonsai trees from a dozen or more enthusiasts will be on display, he said.
O’Reilly co-founded the St. Croix Bonsai Society with Erroll Chichester, who is currently deputy commissioner of Agriculture.
For more information, call Cruzan Gardens at 778-0700 or email st.croixbonsaisociety@gmail.com.
